Benefits

Employee Benefits

Oregon Institute of Technology offers a comprehensive and flexible employee benefit package. Oregon Tech benefits are administered by the Public Employees Benefit Board (PEBB) which also administers the benefits for the State of Oregon employees. The PEBB Benefits home page will lead you to information about each benefit, contact information for each benefit vendor, forms, Wellness Programs, and other useful resources.

Insurance Eligibility

Unclassified Employees and Faculty - Working 0.50 FTE or greater on appointments of 90 or more days are eligible for medical, dental, vision and basic life with a full time contribution from the University.

Classified Full-time Employees – Working 0.75 FTE or greater are eligible for medical, dental, vision and basic life with a full time contribution from the University.

Classified Part-time Employees – Working less than 0.75 FTE are eligible for medical, dental, vision and basic life with a pro-rated contribution from the University.

Core Benefits

Medical, Dental, & VisionIf you are working at least half-time on an appointment of 90 days or longer, you are eligible for Oregon Tech’s benefit program. New employees must enroll for benefits within 30 days of hire date, and coverage is effective the first day of the calendar month following the submission of enrollment forms. After initial enrollment, changes may be made during the annual Open Enrollment period or within 30 days of a qualified family status change (i.e., birth, death, marriage, divorce, employment status change).

Oregon Tech pays 95% of the cost of medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance premiums for you. This contribution is not dependent on the coverage level you select. For the lowest cost plan per county, the university pays 97% of the premiums.

You may choose from multiple health, dental, and vision plans. In order to select a plan you must live or work (at least 50 percent of the time) in the plan’s service area, as described in the Summary Plan Description.

Many of your benefit options can be purchased with pre-tax dollars. These are dollars deducted from your paycheck before income taxes are calculated. Benefits eligible for pre-tax dollars are medical, dental, vision, the first $50,000 of employee life insurance, contributions to Dependent Care and Healthcare Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA). Costs for employee life insurance over $50,000, dependent and spouse life insurance, disability, AD&D, and long term care insurance are paid for with post-tax dollars.

Opt OutIf you have coverage through another employer-sponsored group medical plan, you may choose to opt out of PEBB core benefit coverage. If you have opt out of medical you may, but are not required to opt out of the dental and vision coverages offered. If you opt out, you may receive a portion of the monthly benefit amount as taxable income. See the PEBB Summary Plan Description rules on opting out.

Basic Life InsuranceLife insurance coverage of $5,000 is provided for all benefits-eligible employees. Employees may purchase additional life insurance for themselves and/or dependents.

Optional Benefits

Accidental Death and Dismemberment Coverage (AD&D)
The AD&D plan provides 24-hour coverage for accidental loss of life, limb, hand, foot, hearing, speech, sight or thumb and index finger (of the same hand) for you and/or your dependents. You may select a coverage amount from $50,000 to $500,000, in increments of $50,000.

Additional Employee Life InsuranceAll benefits eligible employees may enroll for optional employee life insurance coverage in amounts from $20,000 to $600,000. Some coverage amounts require approval of a medical history statement by the insurance carrier.

You may enroll for up to $100,000 coverage as guarantee issue within 30 days of your hire date or within 30 days of your initial eligibility.

Spouse/Domestic Partner Life Insurance
All PEBB-eligible employees may enroll for optional spouse/domestic partner life insurance coverage in amounts of $20,000 to $400,000. Some coverage amounts require approval of a medical history statement by the insurance carrier.

Your spouse/domestic partner may enroll for up to $20,000 in coverage as guarantee issue within 30 days of your hire date or within 30 days of your initial eligibility.

Short and Long Term Disability InsuranceA short-term disability plan (STD) and four levels of long-term disability (LTD) coverage are available. Disability plans offer income protection during times when you are unable to work due to an injury or illness. You select the level of coverage that works best for your situation. Premiums are paid on a post-tax basis, and costs vary depending on gross monthly salary and the plan chosen.

Long Term Care InsuranceAll PEBB-eligible employees and their extended family members (spouse/domestic partner, children, parents, parents-in-law, grandparents, grandparents-in-law, and siblings) who are 18 to 84 years old are eligible to enroll in long-term care insurance. This insurance provides coverage when a physician has certified that you are unable to perform, without substantial assistance from another individual, two or more activities of daily living (ADLs) for a period of at least 90 days, or that you require substantial supervision by another individual to protect you and others from threats to health or safety due to severe cognitive impairment.

Flexible Spending Accounts
Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA) is available to you if you pay someone to care for dependents while you work. You elect to have a certain dollar amount deducted from your pay each month on a pre-tax basis and deposited in your Dependent Care FSA.

A Healthcare Flexible Spending Account is available to help you save money on out-of-pocket healthcare expenses. Because these expenses are paid with pre-tax dollars, you save a percentage of each dollar spent out of pocket. Eligible expenses include most of the medical, dental and vision services and drug costs not fully covered in the insurance plans.

Throughout the year, you submit claims and receipts for services provided and receive reimbursement from your tax-free FSA account(s).

Other Benefits

Staff Fee PrivilegesIf you have an appointment of 0.50 FTE or more, you are eligible to use or transfer a staff fee privilege to an eligible family member each term. The staff fee privilege entitles you to a tuition charge of 30% of undergraduate tuition for up to 12 credit hours per term. Tuition reductions are subject to tax as part of your gross income if you or a family member is enrolled in a graduate-level program and for both undergraduate and graduate credits if the enrollee is your domestic partner.

Retirement Plans

Classified Staff You will become a member of the Oregon Public Service Retirement Plan (OPSRP) at the beginning of the month following completion of six months of service. Oregon Tech currently pays all contributions to both accounts in OPSRP, currently 6% in the “employee” account, and a variable percentage into the “employer” account (a pension plan). To be vested in the OPSRP, you must work at least 600 hours in five calendar years or attain age 65.

Unclassified Staff and Faculty You may become a member of the Oregon Public Service Retirement Plan (OPSRP) at the beginning of the month following completion of six months of service. Alternately, you may elect to participate in the Optional Retirement Program (ORP). Both plans have an "employee" and an "employer" account. Oregon Tech currently pays all contributions to both accounts in OPSRP, currently 6% in the “employee” account, and a variable percentage into the “employer” account (a pension plan). For the ORP, Oregon Tech pays the “employer” contribution of 8%, plus matching up to 4% if you contribute up to 4% -- for a total of 12% in employer contributions.

To be vested in the ORP, you must have made contributions to the ORP in each of five calendar years or be age 50 or older.

To be vested in the OPSRP, you must work at least 600 hours in five calendar years or attain age 65.

Voluntary Savings Programs

The Oregon Public University Retirement Plans offer a Tax-Deferred Investment (TDI) Program under section 403(b) of the Internal Revenue Code. Through the TDI Program, you may accumulate tax-deferred savings to supplement retirement plans and social security. Payroll deductions are done on either a pre-tax or post-tax (Roth) basis. Fidelity Investments and TIAA provide a wide range of investment choices.

Also available is the Oregon Savings Growth Plan which is the State of Oregon Deferred Compensation Plan, a 457 Plan. Payroll deductions are done on either a pre-tax or post-tax (Roth) basis.

Employees can participate in either the 403(b) or the Oregon Savings Growth or both at the same time.

Continuation of Coverage

Insurance
The right to COBRA continuation coverage was created by a federal law, the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA). COBRA continuation coverage can become available to you and other members of your family when group health coverage would otherwise end. For more information about your rights and obligations under the Plan and under federal law, you should review the Plan’s Summary Plan Description.

Life Insurance
If your employment ends you may be eligible to continue your Optional Life coverage. You must apply within 60 days following the date your employment ends. Coverage continued under this provision will be subject to all terms of the group policy. Note: If you die, your spouse or domestic partner may continue his or her Optional Life Insurance. For more information about your rights and obligations, you should review the Plan’s Summary Plan Description.

Parental and Family Leaves
The Federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Oregon Family Leave Act (OFLA) typically provide you, if qualified, 12 weeks of unpaid leave per year for the birth or adoption of a child, to care for a seriously ill family member, when you have serious health condition, or other covered absences. In some cases more leave time may apply to the situation. During the leave you may use accrued paid leave before taking unpaid leave. When on FMLA and/or OFLA qualifying leave, Oregon Tech will continue to pay the employer-paid portion of premium. You are responsible for the employee portion of premiums. For more information contact the Benefits Consultant in the Office of Human Resources.

Workers’ Compensation If you are injured or ill due to work-related reasons, you are insured by workers’ compensation insurance.

The university has procedures for reporting and filing workers’ compensation claims. If an accident occurs, the injured employee’s department chair should immediately complete the Oregon Tech Incident Report. If the accident requires medical care, a workers’ compensation claim form (801) should be filed with HR within 24 hours.